The Prince and the Nanny, Part Two
Where on earth had the notion come from that princes couldn't be filthy?
Did that rubbish spill out of an asshole instead of a mouth? Was that why it made no sense at all?
I suddenly want to quit everything and walk away.
To think that on only my second day as a nanny, I was already contemplating resigning.
I knew it. Dealing with children just isn't for me.
With a completely blank face, I opened my mouth.
"No, Your Highness. You are dirty."
At those words, Edwin's eyes widened in sheer shock.
"Wh-what did you say?"
"You smell, too. Did you wash after coming back from the stables yesterday?"
"I-I did wash!"
The boy had no talent for lying. Watching his wavering gaze, I pressed on.
"Truly? Because the crown of Your Highness's head smells of horse manure."
"What? Horse manure?"
"Yes, horse manure. Quite foul, in fact."
Edwin clutched his own hair, his jaw dropping slack. Being told he reeked of dung from the top of his head had clearly dealt him a heavy blow. Yet despite his devastation, he showed no intention of washing himself again.
Then I have no choice but to do it myself.
Resigned, I dipped my hands into the basin, intending to wash him with my own two hands. But the water was freezing cold. Although the days were growing warmer, the morning air remained chilly. Why fetch such icy water?
Did the prince order this?
Washing with ice water in winter was a technique assassins used to deliberately sharpen their senses.
It makes no sense.
Then I noticed Edwin acting strangely. Avoiding my gaze, he kept sneaking anxious glances at someone else.
Hm?
I snapped my head toward the maid who had brought the basin. Meeting my eyes, she smiled nonchalantly and held up a towel.
"Shall I hand you the towel?"
What kind of insolent nonsense was this?
Is she genuinely oblivious, or just feigning ignorance?
In moments like this, a nanny was obligated to speak up. I instructed the maid in a calm, even tone.
"His Highness's wash water is far too cold. Bring warm water."
"Pardon? That cannot be. I brought warm water."
"I dipped my fingers in just a moment ago, and it was freezing."
"Then it must have cooled down in the meantime."
The maid wore a bored, listless expression, as though doing her job were a dreadful chore.
"Besides, His Highness already said he finished washing his face. Must I really go fetch fresh water all over again?"
I frowned at her retort. For a mere maid to talk back when the prince's nanny gave an order?
The chain of command around here is a complete circus.
Meanwhile, the maid continued to smile at me.
"Nanny?"
Only then did I grasp the covert meaning behind her look.
So what? What are you going to do about it? It isn't like you care about the prince either, right?
She seemed thoroughly convinced that I was cut from the same cloth as her.
Pathetic.
I returned her insolent grin with a pleasant smile of my own.
Splash!
Without a shred of hesitation, I dumped the prince's wash water straight over her.
"Aaaagh!"
Drenched out of nowhere in icy water, the maid shrieked at the top of her lungs. The shrill scream woke Emilia, who rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up.
"Mmm... What is it? Playing in the water? Lia wants to play in the water, too..."
Even at the young princess's adorable babble, not a single soul could laugh. The maid clutched her arms, shivering violently as she stared at me in disbelief.
"Wh-what is the meaning of...?"
"How is it?" I asked, still maintaining my pleasant smile. "Do you truly believe that warm water fetched mere moments ago could turn this freezing cold in such a short span?"
The maid stared back, horror dawning in her eyes.
"Do not make me repeat myself next time." I thrust the empty basin into her chest with a resolute snap. "Fetch fresh water. And this time, it had better be genuinely warm."
"Y-yes! Right away!"
She possessed neither the nerve nor the leeway to refuse. With tears pooling in the corners of her eyes, she bolted from the room as if fleeing for her life.
I watched her retreating back with cold disdain.
Just then, I felt an intense gaze boring into me from below. It was Edwin. His mouth hung open, staring up at me in utter bewilderment.
"Is something the matter, Your Highness?"
At my inquiry, Edwin said nothing, only gauging my mood with wary eyes. Judging by his reaction, he was a little frightened by what I had done. How unexpected. He had hissed and scratched like a feral alley kitten so much that I assumed he feared nothing.
He hissed like that precisely because he was terrified.
I knelt down and brushed the damp bangs from the prince's forehead.
"Your Highness, if something like this happens again, report it to the head maid. Staying silent will never solve anything."
The prince's eyes widened. He stared at me intently before casting his gaze downward.
"...What good would telling that old witch do? She always takes the maids' side anyway." Edwin muttered in a voice far too weary for his age. "I'm sick of it."
I studied the crown of his head, narrowing my eyes. Just what on earth had happened to this young child to cast such dark shadows across his face?
Even if he is demeaned as dog scruff, he is still the Emperor's son.
Why did an imperial prince, blessed with the continent's most exalted blood, bear the exact same haunted countenance as orphans roaming the back alleys? I simply could not understand.
"It wasn't like this when Emma was here."
I paused at the familiar name slipping from his lips. Emma. The previous nanny who had supposedly recommended me for this post.
Of all things, she had to share the same name as that woman.
Recalling a certain woman from my past, I asked in an indifferent tone, "Did she resign, then?"
"No."
I looked up at his strangely frigid, sunken tone. Before I realized it, Edwin's face was right in front of mine. His vivid blue eyes looked fractured, like shattered glass.
"She died."
The tone was shockingly stark to come from a child's mouth. Yet his expression remained unnervingly impassive, like someone who truly understood the finality of death.
"Because of me."
At those subsequent words, my lips parted of their own accord.
"I-I brought it!"
Right on cue, the maid hurried back inside bearing the washbasin. Gentle wisps of steam rose from the surface. At least she wasn't completely thick in the head.
I pushed the fresh, warm water toward him.
"Now, wash properly this time."
Despite his grim demeanor only moments before, Edwin's face instantly twisted into a scowl at the sight of the water. Even so, he obediently dipped his hands in. Just when I thought he was surprisingly complying without protest, however, he proved me wrong.
Splash, splash.
He was still stubbornly pawing at his face like a cat.
...It seemed that regardless of the water's temperature, he simply hated washing.
Unable to bear it any longer, I set Emilia down on the bed and rolled up my sleeves.
"Wh-what are you doing?!"
"Pardon me for a moment, Your Highness."
After offering a polite word of excuse, I seized him firmly by the scruff of his neck.
"Let go of me! What is—phbbt! Splutter!"
"You must scrub thoroughly like this! Thoroughly!"
"Mmgh-brr-pbt!"
Giving him no time to protest, I vigorously scrubbed his face with my palms.
"Since you are already wet, I might as well wash your hair too."
"Aaaaargh!"
Thanks to that, with his hair freshly washed, Edwin ended up spotless. Yet his expression was one of absolute devastation, as though he had been thoroughly swindled.
"Rayche! Lia too! Lia wants water play too! Pwease do it!"
Catching Emilia as she clung to my skirts, I scooped her up and handed Edwin a dry towel.
"Dry yourself."
Taking the towel, his face flushed scarlet with humiliation. Gritting his teeth, Edwin glared daggers at me.
Sure enough, from that moment on, Edwin began rebelling as if seeking vengeance.
"Please put this on."
"No! I hate it!"
"Then what do you intend to wear?"
"I told you, I'm wearing what I wore yesterday!"
Despite my offering a fresh set of clothes, Edwin adamantly insisted on wearing the filthy rags he had rolled around in at the stables yesterday.
"...Just wear this, Your Highness."
"No! I said I hate it!"
"Then I shall have them bring anoth—"
"I said I'm wearing yesterday's!"
Whose stubborn streak had he inherited to be this pigheaded? Clasping the dirty bundle of clothes to his chest, Edwin shook his head vigorously.
I have no choice.
Leaning down, I brought my lips right to the sulking prince's ear.
"If you do not change into clean clothes, I will run straight to the head maid and report everything that happened yesterday."
"Wh-what?!"
"I will do so, if you truly insist."
Edwin yelled in indignance.
"You said you weren't on that old witch's side! You liar!"
"I never lied. As your nanny, I simply cannot allow Your Highness to wander about looking like a vagrant."
"Eeeek!"
Unable to contain his rage, Edwin was about to hurl the clothes across the room when the little princess chimed in.
"Big Brother, that outfit is way prettier!"
With that single sentence from his little sister, Edwin finally yielded and grumpily changed into the clean attire. He refused to listen to a single word from me, yet changed without another peep the second his sister spoke. It seemed Edwin doted on his younger sister far more than I had thought.
"Rayche."
Right then, Emilia, who was resting meekly in my arms, whispered into my ear.
"Lia was a good girl, so give me a treat!"
Well, whether having such a shrewd little sister he adored so dearly was a blessing or a curse for him, I couldn't say.
Once both siblings were properly groomed and dressed, I escorted them down to the dining room. A meal was already laid out across the long dining table.
Quite a lavish feast.
White bread, an unfamiliar fish dish, roasted poultry, and fruits in an array of vibrant colors. It was a luxurious spread commoners would never lay eyes on in their entire lifetimes. Yet the young prince merely pecked at his food, picking at morsels before abruptly setting down his fork.
"I'm done eating."
Looking closely, his plate was piled high with nothing but vegetables.
"Food is precious, Your Highness. Eat plenty while you have the chance."
Edwin grimaced at the nagging.
"Vegetables taste awful."
Eating food for taste? Wasn't it enough so long as it wasn't rotten or poisoned? To my eyes, a picky eater was an utterly bizarre phenomenon.
Frankly, whether the prince starved to death or burst his stomach gorging himself made no difference to me. But I had a duty as his nanny. To care for the young prince—and care for him well.
"Then, Your Highness, would you care to make a wager with me?"
"A wager?"
Edwin furrowed his brow at the sudden proposition.
"Yes. How about a wager where the loser has to eat all the remaining vegetables?"